In response to this, our church has a Kodomo no Shukufuki Shiki, or a "Blessing the Children Ceremony," also in mid-November. Our pastor prays for each child by name, one-by-one, and the children's ministry volunteers prepare a special gift for each child. This year Sam got blessed twice (and double presents) because they did it at his Friday morning kids' group as well as on Sunday morning. We appreciate the extra prayers and special attention on the children that week. However, I can only imagine what it means for a Japanese Christian family who has gone against the culture by deciding not to participate in the Shinto ceremony to have something special for their kids at church that week!
This past November as we walked to church the morning of the kids' blessing ceremony, my heart skipped a beat as I saw a family about a block ahead of us with a little girl all dressed up in a kimono. They were just coming up to our church, and I thought it was so special that they had gotten their daughter all decked out for the church ceremony. Then they continued walking past and I realized with a sinking heart that they were on the way to the shrine around the corner instead. Pray with us for the millions of Japanese who live all around us and who do not yet know the one true God.